Grammy Award victor Craig Mack dies at age 46

It's with heavy hearts that we report NY veteran, Craig Mack, who was apart of Diddy's Bad Boy Records in the 90's, has passed away at the age of 46.

The artist upon which Diddy (then Puff Daddy) launched his Bad Boy Records imprint in 1993, the same label that gave us The Notorious B.I.G., Ma$e, Total, Carl Thomas, Faith Evans, 112, Black Rob, G Dep, French Montana, Machine Gun Kelly, and of course Diddy himself, Craig Mack will forever be remembered for his "Flava In Ya Ear" remix.

Producer Alvin Toney confirmed the devastating news as he insisted: 'He was prepared for whatever comes, to go home to the Lord. He was a good friend of mine.

The Hip-hop artist, who rose to prominence in the 1990s, died on Monday night of heart failure.

"Nobody got to understand his story", Toney said.

Mack's Bad Boy career was eventually eclipsed by another rapper on the same label: The Notorious B.I.G., whose debut album Ready to Die was also released in September 1994 was eventually certified four-times platinum. "He was ready." Craig leaves behind a wife and two adult children, according to the producer.

Several members of the hip-hop community have already taken to social media to offer their condolences regarding Mack's death.

"I just got a disturbing phone call".

In recent years Mack had given up the fame and music for a life of religious conviction.

"Just A Friend" rapper Biz Markie wrote on IG, "R.I.P TO MY MAIN MAN CRAIG MACK ANOTHER GREAT ONE GONE...." 'Because Craig was my roadie on tour. His second album Operation: Get Down failed to live up to the same success and peaked at number 46 in 1997.